The Newcastle-built Challenger 2 is showing its fighting force against the slower and less threatening T55s used by Saddam Hussein's men.

This week in one action on the Al Faw peninsula 14 T55s were destroyed by British Army Challenger 2s which have more ammunition on board and are faster.

An MoD spokesman, said: "The T55 is a Soviet update of a 1945 basic design. It was the most widely produced tank of its time, with 95,000 built.

"Although it's armour was good for its time, the T55 has been left behind by modern armour."

The Challenger 2, built at Vickers, has a 120mm rifled tank gun, which has a greater range than the T55s 100mm gun.

The British tank also has a hi-tech fire control system.

The Challenger 2 can also carry 50 shells, which can include armour piercing, high explosives or smoke rounds, making it useful for destroying armour, bunkers, buildings and trenches. The T55 can only carry 43 shells.

An advanced thermal imaging system, which operators say is the best in the world, makes the Challenger 2s deadly by night - something the T55 lacks.

When it comes to speed the Iraqi machine comes off second best again. It reaches 30mph compared to the Challenger's 37mph.

Challenger 2 was entered into service by Vickers in 1998 with around 150 improvements on its predecessor. As well as the war in the Gulf, the tank has also served in Kosovo and Bosnia.

With Chobham armour and nuclear, biological and chemical protection, it is considered to be the best protected in Nato.